Ear exercising device



Dec. 11, 1934. J, P DAVENPORT 1,983,737

EAR EXERCI SING DEVICE Filed July '7, 1933 Q INVENTOR b .faiw PDQUVflOf/j m'TohNEYs Patented Dec. 11, 1934 EAR EXERCISING DEVHCIE Joseph P. Davenport, Detroit, Mich, assignor to George W. Yeoman, Detroit, Mich.

Application .lluly Z, 1933, Serial No. 679,346

8 Claims. (6i. 1741-177) The present invention pertains to apparatus ment circuit of tube Tl so that the current flowfor measuring and exercising the human ear. ing through the metal causes the same to flex The primary object of the present invention and open the filament circuit and after the metal is to provide apparatus for measuring. the hearagain cools it again closes the filament circuit.

ing ability of a person and for exercising the While the filament circuit is closed the filament 5 cars of a person with defective hearing at the becomes heated and while the circuit is open deficiency frequencies disclosed by such measurethe filament cools. The thermostat is, therefore, ment. The exercise consists of an application for the purpose of causing regular heating and of simple and complex tone vibrations which in cooling of the filament of tube T1, thereby effect- 10 certain forms of deafness is found to have beneing a wide variation in the plate current fiowing 1Q ficial efiect with improvement in the hearing through the tube, and in turn causing a wide ability resulting. The apparatus is designed to variation of plate impedance and a correspondproduce a single, sus ained, clear audiotone ing variation of oscillation frequency. which is manually controlled and variable in A second oscillator is generally designated B frequency between zero and twenty thousand and comprises a vacuum tube T2 of the dynatron cycles, and in intensity it is variable from zero type, inductance L2, and capacities C2, C2 and t6 the maximum volume of the amplifier. The C2. This oscillator is designed to oscillateat quantitative hearing ability is tested by determinfrequencies continuously variable from a freing the lowest signal intensity that the subject quency equal to that of oscillator A to one of l can hear, by each ear separately, or by both ears twenty kilo-cycles either higher or lower in 20 together. When the exercise takes place the frequency. apparatus may be made to super-impose on the A third oscillator is generally designated C and above audiotonea throbbing, pulsating beat note, comprises a vacuum tube T3 of the dynatron which is variable in intensity independently of type and associated inductance L3, switch S3, the pure tone, and which is adjustable to four and capacities C3, C3a, C31), C30, and 03d. This or more low frequencies. In this manner the oscillator is designed to oscillate at four freorgans of hearing are trained and developed by quencies progressively differing from that of osgentle applications .of simple and complex vibracillator A'in steps of about thirty cycles each. tions'. Thvapparatus further includes means Provision is made to stop or start oscillators whereby the amplified human voice may be A and C by means of switches S4 or S5 respec- 30 super-imposed on the above described audiotone tively which are mounted between the tubes T1 and beat note through, the medium of a. microand T3 and. the line 1 leading from the power phone and amplifier so that the operator may pack generally designated 2 which rectifies the administer voice exercises to the organs of hearelectric current from the supply source 3. 8 of c Simple d Spoken W a Inductively coupled to each of inductances L1, 35 experience shows to be beneficial in certain cases. L2 and L3 are Similar inductances L1, L2 and with the above and other ends in View the L3 respectively. The inductances L1, L2 and invention consists in matters hereinafter set L3 are electrically connected in series in the line4 forth and more particularly pointed out in the ,f di into the input of vacuum tube T4, appended clams referince 3 i stants of which are such that rectification occurs 1 f g igi fg g g' 3 rgsent f g a in the plate circuit. The three inductances proigfi p vide a means whereby some of the energy of each e characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding partsr oscillator tube is fed into rectifier T4, producing The devlcexmcludes an oscillator designated in the plate circuit of said rectifier tube any of 45 generally A which consists ,ofa vacuum tube T1 the controllable effects:- of the dynatron type, having constants of 1 1. A pure audiotone, variable manually from ductance L1, and capacities C1 and C1, to prozero to twenty thousand cycles, by beating oscilduce continuous oscillation of a fixed frequency lators A and B, oscillator C at this time bein somewhere between fifty and one hundred kiloturned oil. 50 cycles. A thermostatic device T1 in the fila- 2. A pure audiotone produced by the beating ment of the tube T1 automatically provides for of oscillators A and B, or A and C, aut m lly regular heating and cooling of the filament 'of and regularly variable over a wide frequency the tube. The thermostatic device T1 comprises range because of intermittent heating and coola bimeta1 switch member mounted in the filaing of the filament in vacuum tube T1, said heat- 55 ing and cooling causing frequency drift because of slight capacity variations.

3. A throbbing, pulsating modulation. of the pure audiotone produced by beating oscillators A, B and C together. The intensity of the last named modulation is controlled by means of a variable resistance R3.

The output from the rectifier tube T4 is fed into a two stage compensated audioamplifier generally designated as D through a network E of suitable coupling and filtering resistors and condensers. A calibrated volume control, or attenuator 5 is inserted between the rectifier tube T4 and the first audiotube T5 to provide variable signal intensity.

A microphone 6 feeding through tube T6 is also coupled into the input circuit of audiotube T5, having suitable volume control to permit super-imposing voice signals of a volume sufficient to be heard through the tone signals. The output from the second amplifier tube T7 is fed into a double ear phone 7 through a double pole three point switch S7, which may be operated to transfer the signal to either ear phone or to both ears phones. The output from the amplifier tube T7 is also fed into a monitor ear phone 8 provided so that the operator or attendant may listen to the signal. A small incandescent lamp 9 and push button 10 are provided in order that the subject, or person receiving exercise may make a visible signal in response to questions.

The above described machine is capable of producing a single, sustained, clear audiotone variable in frequency between zero and twenty thousand cycles, and in intensity from zero to the maximum volume of the amplifier. Upon the sustained tone the machine is capable of superimposing a throbbing, pulsating beat note, variable in intensity independently of the sustained tone, and adjustable to four or more low frequencies. The machine may also cause a slow,

regular, automatic fluctuation of the audiotone over a wide frequency range or it may combine any of the above recited to produce a series of very complex tones. Upon any of the tones the machine provides for super-imposing the human voice, or for producing alone any natural voice sounds, through the medium of the microphone, amplified and controllable in intensity. The machine is adapted to feed any of the above into one or both ears of a person listening.

Among the uses for which this device has been designed are the following:-

To provide a quantitative measurement of the hearing ability of any person using the pure audionote (a). By means of a curve drawn on a piece of graph paper, or a specially prepared chart, having the ordinates representing fre= quencies and the abscissae'indicating attenuation, a visual measure of the defect atany frequency is obtained. The method of making these measurements is to record, at regularly increasing frequency intervals, the lowest signal intensity which person can hear. The signal intensity calibration may be made in decibels or in any arbitrary figures, once a standard has been determined. A curve drawn through the above points will then show the hearing ability with reference to the curve of normal hearing already drawn or printed on the chart. Separate curves may be plotted for each ear and one for both ears.

A further use for the machine is in the treatment of certain forms of deafness, particularly at the deficiency frequencies which above measurements disclose. It is believed that a series of frequently repeated treatments, consisting of gentle applications of simple and complex vibrations, administered by a well trained operator, advised by a physician, will result in material improvement in many cases. Not the least of the possibilities herein disclosed are the results of applications of amplified human voice sounds through the medium of the microphone and amplifier. A carefully trained operator may administer voice exercises of such simple sounds, or spoken words, as experience shows to be beneficial.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such changes are contemplated.

What I claim is:-

1. A device of the character described comprising an oscillator adapted to produce a constant audiofrequency tone, thermostatic means for automatically varying the frequency of said tone, and means amplifying said audiotone and for feeding said tone to a human ear.

2. A device of the character described comprising an oscillator adapted to produce a constant audiofrequency tone, thermostatic means for varying the frequency of said tone, an oscillator for.

producing and super-imposing a beat note on said audiotone, a rectifier, means inductively connecting said oscillators to said rectifier, and an amplifier connected to said ,rectifier.

3. A device of the character described comprising an oscillator adapted to produce a constant audiofrequency tone, thermostatic means for varying the frequency of said tone, an oscillator for producing and super-imposing a beat note on said audiotone, a rectifier, means inductively connecting said oscillators to said rectifier, an amplifier connected to said rectifier, and a microphone connected to said amplifier.

4. A device for creating audible vibrations for measuring the hearing range of a human ear, said device comprising a rectifier, an oscillator connected to said rectifier and adapted to supply oscillations thereto at a constant frequency, a second oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for adjusting said second oscillator. to a plurality of frequencies arranged in steps above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, a third oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for infinitely varying the frequency of said third named oscillator through a frequency range extending above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, anamplifier connected with said rectifier for amplifying the audiofrequency component produced by beating together the oscillations of said oscillators, and a reproducer connected to said amplifier for converting the audiofrequency component into audible sound waves.

5. A device for creating audible vibrations for measuring the hearing range of a human ear, said device comprising a rectifier, an oscillator connected to said rectifier and adapted to supply oscillations thereto at a constant frequency, a second oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for adjusting said second oscillator to a plurality.

of frequencies arranged in steps above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, a third oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for infinitely varying the frequency of said third named oscillator through a frequency range extending above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, an amplifier connected with said rectifier for amplifying the audiofrequency component produced by beating together the oscillations of said oscillators, a reproducer connected to said amplifier for converting the audiofrequency component into audible sound waves, and an individual control member for each of said first and third named oscillators for rendering the same operative or inoperative.

6. A device for creating audible vibrations for measuring the hearing range of a human ear and for exercising the human ear, said device comprising a rectifier, a first oscillator connected to said rectifier and supplying oscillations thereto at a constant frequency, a second oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for adjusting said second oscillator to a plurality of frequencies arranged in steps above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, a third oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for infinitely varying the frequency of said third oscillator to frequencies above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, and for providing a visible indication of the frequency of an audiofrequency component produced by heating together the oscillations of said first and third oscillators in said rectifier, an amplifier for amplifying the audiofrequency component, means for regulating the volume of the output of said amplifier, and a reproducer for receiving theoutput of said amplifier and converting said audiofrequencycomponent into audible sound waves.

7. A device for creating audible vibrations for measuring the hearing range of a human ear and for exercising the human ear, said device comprising a rectifier, a first oscillator connected to said rectifier, thermostatic means for automatically varying the frequency of said oscillator, a second oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for adjusting said second oscillator to a plurality of frequencies arranged in steps above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, a third oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for infinitely varying the frequency of said third oscillator and providing a visible indication of the frequency of an audiofrequency component produced by heating together the oscillations of said first and third oscillators in said rectifier, an amplifier for amplifying the audiofrequency component, means for regulating the volume of the output of said amplifier and a reproducer for receivingthe output of said amplifier and converting said audiofrequency component into audible sound waves.

8. A device for creating audible vibrations for measuring the hearing range of a human ear and for exercising the human ear, said device comprising a rectifier, a first oscillator connected to said rectifier and supplying oscillations thereto at a constant frequency, means for stopping and starting said first oscillator, a second oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for adjusting said second oscillator to a plurality of frequencies arranged in steps above and below the frequency of said first named oscillator, a third oscillator connected to said rectifier, means for stopping and starting said third oscillator, means for infinitely varying the frequency of said third oscillator to regulate the same to a decimal part of a cycle and for providing a visible indication of the frequency of an audiofrequency component produced by beating together the oscillations of said first and third oscillators in said rectifier, an amplifier for amplifying the audiofrequency component, means for regulating the volume of the output of said amplifier, and a reprcducer for receiving the output of said amplifier and converting said audiofrequency component into audible sound waves.

JOSEPH P. DAVENPORT. 

